Ohio has a new brewery trail for bike riders

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Jenny Sokoloski of Columbus, Ohio, enjoys a craft beer at Eclipse Company Store while taking a break from riding the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway in Ohio's Athens County. Four breweries and one cider house are located near the bike path, which has led to the recent creation of an organized ale trail called Brewed on the Bikeway. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

It all starts with a well-paved path. In this case, it’s the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway, a 21-mile flat trail along an old railroad line that extends northwest alongside the Hocking River from Athens, Ohio, to Nelsonville, Ohio. The pathway is especially picturesque in the fall. Joel Prince

The city of Athens, Ohio, is quite hilly, but the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is flat and provides a peaceful ride through the scenic countryside of Athens County. Sites include the Hocking River, Ohio University campus and Wayne National Forest. Pedaling the path offers a fun way to work off calories while traveling from one brewery to the next. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

The trail includes Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery, which began in 2005, making it the oldest brewery in Athens, Ohio. Customers can purchase a flight of beers served on an Ohio-shaped board. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Locals gather at Jackie O’s for “Sunday Funday.” Captivating craft beers vary from a bourbon barrel-aged stout with coffee called Champion Ground, to a tart ale brewed with coriander and sea salt named Gose, to a wheat ale that’s fermented with local pawpaw fruit. Joel Prince

Just off the bikeway, and seemingly smack dab in the middle of nowhere, is Little Fish Brewing Company. Opened in 2015, this hidden gem melds all the right ingredients for a splendid time – fine microbrews, good eats from a food truck, and lots of space to chill and soak up the scenery. The business gets bonus points for having wind-powered electricity. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Beau Nishimura, taproom manager at Little Fish Brewing Co. in Athens, Ohio, hands a beer to a customer. The beer-making process here starts with corn and spelt grown in Ohio. “Farmhouse ales and sours are close to our heart,” Nishimura says. “But we also have lagers, pilsners, stouts and wheats.” Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Cameron Fuller stands with beer in hand alongside Devil’s Kettle Brewing, which he opened in Athens, Ohio, in 2015. “I’m the story of a home brewer who got obsessed,” says Fuller, who serves 20 traditional English ales and German lagers on tap. His flagship is an imperial blonde called Spider Silk. “It’s light, but strong,” he says. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Head bartender Rio Ajamian pours a house-made cider at the West End Cider House, where unique varieties include a semisweet cider infused with lemon and ginger, bourbon barrel-aged cider, and a botanical made with rose hips, lemongrass and hibiscus. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

The Athens County courthouse on Court Street embodies the historic charm of uptown Athens, Ohio. Home to Ohio University, Athens is a bustling epicenter for academics, artists and foodies who’ve made this southeastern Ohio enclave a must-visit destination. Joel Prince

Delve into the local food scene at Casa Nueva restaurant and cantina in Athens, Ohio. The worker-owned cooperative is dedicated to strengthening the community by promoting wholesome food and responsible business practices. Pictured here is the breakfast burrito wrapped in a house-made tortilla. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

For a bout of burlesque, head to O’Betty’s Red Hot in Athens, Ohio, for all-beef and vegetarian hot dogs served with lots of pizzazz. Dogs are named after exotic dancers such as Mata Hari and Salome. A hot dog museum rounds out the quirkiness. Joel Prince

Another great source of nutrition and calories while on the bike trail is the Athens Farmers Market, held year round on Saturdays in a retail parking lot on East State Street. Here, baker Chloe Rothwell peddles pretzels and bagels made with Chomolungma beer from Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Uptown Athens offers more options for hungry riders. Choose a sandwich at the Bagel Street Deli, like the Larry David that comes with lox, cream cheese, capers, tomato and onion. Afterward, make art out of your tinfoil wrapper and add it to the wall gallery. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Begin or end Brewed on the Bikeway with a sweet treat from Fluff Bakery in Uptown Athens. Here, Danielle Wallette of Cleveland (left) holds a plate of red velvet whoopee pies, and Carly Willison of Carrollton, Ohio, holds cupcakes. The bakery offers creative comfort food with lots of vegan options, as well as local beers, if you’re still so inclined. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway ventures past some interesting sites, including a restored coal company town called Eclipse in an area known as The Plains, Ohio. Here you’ll find a stellar craft beer hall called the Eclipse Company Store, where folks gather for family game nights, pool tournaments and music on an outdoor stage under the stars. Joel Prince

Jason Werner pours a German Weihenstephan, one of 35 beers on tap at the Eclipse Company Store, a beer hall that opened alongside the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway in March. “We get a lot of people off the bike trail,” Werner says. “They’ve burned some calories and it’s a great excuse for people to rest and have a beer.” Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

The food menu at the Eclipse Company Store is as varied as the beer selection with such choices as locally raised, grass-fed beef burgers, homemade pierogis, breaded eggplant tots, and a garden burger topped with red baggage and pickled radish. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Tyler Sampson prepares a meal at 9 Tables in an area of Athens County called The Plains, Ohio, just off the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. “We seat nine tables at a time and close the restaurant after a fine, seven-course meal,” says Sampson, owner and head chef. Joel Prince

A serving of mussels in white wine sauce is one of seven courses at 9 Tables. Other delicacies on the November menu include rosemary-potato soup, filet mignon with mustard cream sauce, and a flourless chocolate torte. Joel Prince

Situated at the northernmost point of the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is the city of Nelsonville, Ohio. Founded in 1814, its history is rooted in coal, salt and clay, as seen in the star-patterned bricks embedded in the sidewalks. The bustling Historic Public Square is home to a restored opera house, art galleries, notable eateries and a new brewery. Joel Prince

Fresh off the bike trail, Kate Mendenhall and Dave Plessinger of Cincinnati enjoy beers and takeout food at Multiple Brewing in Nelsonville, Ohio. The couple says they’ve been to all of the breweries on Brewed on the Bikeway. “It seems like more and more people are into the bike-and-beer movement,” says Plessinger, sporting a cycling T-shirt that reads “Life behind bars.” Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Husband-and-wife team Jason and Michelle Warren opened Multiple Brewing last year near the bike trail in Nelsonville, Ohio. “We make approachable, balanced American-style craft beers that aren’t overly hoppy,” says Jason, who’s the brewmaster at the 1,100-square-foot brewery. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

Coffee, comfort food and cookies can be found at FullBrooks Cafe in Nelsonville, Ohio’s Historic Public Square. Located in a historic hotel, FullBrooks boasts hospitality and serves as a gathering point in this tight-knit, artistic community. Joel Prince

Also in Nelsonville’s Historic Public Square is Rhapsody, an upscale yet casual restaurant operated by students of the Hocking College culinary program. “We get people right off the bike trail coming in for dinner,” says server Jerome Wlodarczyk of Cleveland. Pictured here are plates of salmon and scallops served over a lobster bisque risotto. Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

No need to haul a bike to Athens, Ohio, to participate in Brewed on the Bikeway. Instead, visit one of several rental shops in the area including Black Diamond Bicycles in Eclipse, Ohio. The family-owned bike shop offers adult and kid bikes and pull-behind buggies for hour and day rentals. Joel Prince

Rick Valentine of Athens Bicycle fits Jenny Sokoloski of Columbus, Ohio, for a bike to ride while experiencing Brewed on the Bikeway. The full-service bicycle shop is one of several spots on the trail to rent bikes. “People come from around Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia to make a day of it,” says Valentine of the ale trail. “They ride, drink beer and eat. It’s been enormously popular.” Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY

The trail includes Jackie O’s Taproom and Production Brewery, which began in 2005, making it the oldest brewery in Athens, Ohio. Customers can purchase a flight of beers served on an Ohio-shaped board.(Photo: Wendy Pramik, for USA TODAY)

Coast into southeastern Ohio’s beer scene via Brewed on the Bikeway, a new ale trail that connects four breweries and one cider house along an old railroad line in Athens County.

Created by the Athens County Visitors Bureau, the trail offers a nifty way to sample quality craft brews while cycling a 21-mile, scenic path from Athens, Ohio, to Nelsonville, Ohio.

“It’s one of the only bikeway-brew tours in the U.S.,” says Paige Alost, executive director of Athens County Visitors Bureau. “It’s great for avid and novice bike riders and a fun way to see the beauty of southeast Ohio.”

In addition to beer, riders will discover lots of delectable, local food in Athens County. That’s because many Athens restaurateurs take pride in using ingredients produced within a 30-mile radius of the city.

“We’re about keeping it hyper local,” says Cameron Fuller of Devil’s Kettle Brewing in Athens. “If you want to try our beers you have to come to southeast Ohio.”

Experience a taste of Brewed on the Bikeway in the photo gallery above, and see more from Ohio below.

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In the heart of the Butler County Donut Trail, Hamilton, Ohio was the birthplace of noted children’s book author Robert McCloskey. He gained fame in the 1940s with “Make Way for Ducklings,” one of two books that earned him Caldecott Medals. One of his heroes was the fictional Homer Price, who invented a doughnut-making machine gone wild, as depicted here in a town mural. Wendy Pramik

Created in 2016 by the Butler County Visitors Bureau, the Butler County Donut Trail features 10 mom-and-pop doughnut shops. Participants collect stamps on a passport from each location to earn a free T-shirt. Wendy Pramik

Crystal Degiuseppe prepares a batch of dough at Jupiter Coffee & Donuts in Fairfield, Ohio. The shop’s a popular preliminary stop for folks traversing the Dixie Highway to Jungle Jim’s International Market. With two dozen varieties, Jupiter claims the largest choice of doughnuts on the trail. It also offers coffee made with fresh-roasted beans from Guatemala, Colombia and Papua New Guinea. Wendy Pramik

Miami University graduates Cindy Wallis and Gregg Trueb opened Jupiter Coffee & Donuts in 2014. A marriage between two Miami University grads is referred to as a “Miami Merger,” therefore the couple named a doughnut with maple fluff and candied pecans a Miami Maple Merger. Another popular variety is the Red Storm Roll, honoring the Great Red Spot on the planet Jupiter. Wendy Pramik

Donut Trail passports in hand, customers await their turn for a fresh doughnut and a confirmation stamp from the Donut Spot in Fairfield, Ohio. “Everybody loves doughnuts,” says Terri Niederman, who overtook the decades-old shop in 2009. Her sister, Diana Ramsey, later claimed her own spot on the trail in 2015. Wendy Pramik

Donut Spot is open from 3 a.m. to noon daily, and customers arrive early for the freshest pickings of glazed, chocolate-yeast and peanut butter-cream varieties. One finger-licking standout is the raspberry-filled doughnut with cream cheese icing. Wendy Pramik

Diana Ramsey, owner of Kelly’s Bakery in Hamilton, Ohio, displays an apple fritter that she says is a preferred treat of John Schneider, aka Bo Duke of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” when he passes through town. “People come from all over to experience the Donut Trail,” Ramsey says. Wendy Pramik

Fun and doughnuts go hand in hand at Kelly’s Bakery, says owner Diana Ramsey, who named the newest shop on the trail after her daughter, Kelly. “We like to do unique things for the kids like add mustache rings and candy eyes to our glazed doughnuts.” Wendy Pramik

Doughnuts are fried from midnight to 3 a.m. to assure there are plenty to go around until noon at Mimi’s Donuts & Bakery in Hamilton, Ohio. “Our goal is to not sell out every day,” says Amanda Gilbert, who slathers chocolate icing atop cherry-cake doughnuts. “We keep making more to keep everybody happy.” Wendy Pramik

Police officer Sherry Richardson must have thought she and others deserved a doughnut upon retiring from the Hamilton police force after 30 years. In 2015 the retiree opened Mimi’s Donuts & Bakery in Hamilton, Ohio. Wendy Pramik

You’ll need to arrive early at Ross Bakery, which opens at 4 a.m. six days a week, to get the sweetest selection of honey buns, Danish pastries and cream horns before they’re gone. The bakery, with two locations in Hamilton, Ohio, has been going strong for more than 30 years. Wendy Pramik

An employee drops a “delectable” stamp on a Butler County Donut Trail passport, signifying a qualifying purchase and a notch toward earning a free T-shirt from the Butler County Visitors Bureau. Wendy Pramik

Vera Slamka holds a tray of doughnuts inside Central Pastry Shop of Middletown, Ohio. The treats include the store’s bestselling cake doughnuts called “Uglies.” For 33 years, Slamka and her husband, John, have owned Central Pastry, which was established in 1949. “You must keep the quality high,” Slamka says. “Everything is done from scratch.” Mike Pramik

Tyler Collins sheets dough at Milton’s Donuts in Middletown, Ohio. Milton’s makes its doughnuts and icing from scratch every day using age-tested recipes. “When my husband and I took it over, we wanted to make sure the process never changed,” says co-owner Amy Byrne. Mike Pramik

Jay Byrne, co-owner of Milton’s Donuts, presents a tray of doughnuts in the store that has been a fixture in Middletown for decades. When the previous owner planned to close in 2014, Byrne and his wife, Amy, who are school administrators, purchased the business. “This was such a legendary place in Middletown that we couldn’t let that happen,” Jay Byrne says. Mike Pramik

Customers are welcomed early in the morning at Stan the Donut Man in West Chester Township, Ohio, as a line is likely to form shortly after 6 a.m. Stan Crowe and family have been making doughnuts for five decades. Mike Pramik

Martin’s Donuts, in Trenton, Ohio, has turned out a variety of sweet, baked goods for nearly two decades. Owned by a local family, Martin’s is well known for its apple fritters, which also can be found at Hidden Valley Fruit Farm in nearby Lebanon. Mike Pramik